This day in September, 1513, saw James IV killed in battle at Flodden Field, near Branxton, in Northumberland.

The opposing English and Scottish armies, led by the Earl of Surrey and James IV respectively, were roughly similar in size, numbering between 20 and 30,000 men. The initial position on Flodden Hilll favoured by the Scots was promising. However, the English guns found it easy to pick off the Scots. Both forces had sophisticated artillery, but the lighter and more manoeuvreable weaponry used by the English was more suited to the rain-soaked conditions of the hill. The carnage among the Scottish forces was heavy, reputed to be close to 10,000 men, including the king, nine earls, fourteen lords and a handful of prominent clerics, including the Archbishop of St.Andrews.

Alexander Nasmyth, the Scottish painter and architect notable for his portraits and landscapes, was born on this day in 1758. Nasmyth worked for the portraitist Allan Ramsay, who instilled in him the Enlightenment concepts of man's relationship to nature and the landscape. He set himself up as a portrait painter in 1778, but turned to landscape as a preferred subject following a trip to Italy and being exposed to the classical art there.

His fascination with Roman and Greek facades led to him producing architectural plans for classical caprices, and St. Bernard's Well on the Water of Leith in Edinburgh was built according to his specifications. Nasmyth's most famous painting is his portrait of his friend and fellow radical, Robert Burns. A polymath typical of the time, Nasmyth also explored optical science, theatrical scene-painting, and naval engineering.

On this day in 1543 Mary Queen of Scots was crowned in the security of Stirling Castle. Although only six days old at the time, Mary's coronation took place in the castle chapel following the death of her father, James V.

Today's recipe: Scots chef Tom Kitchin delved deep to create this dish with razor clams and squid.